


The Woman Lupin Loved

by Anonymous



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Age Difference, Class Differences, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, I Got Paid in Pizza To Finish This Fic, Lupin Being a Sappy Bastard, Movie: Kariosutoro no Shiro | The Castle of Cagliostro, POV First Person, Pining, Post-Canon Fix-It, Reunions, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: He had already risked everything for her once. Given the opportunity, he would gladly do it again.
Relationships: Arsene Lupin III/Clarisse de Cagliostro
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20
Collections: Anonymous





	The Woman Lupin Loved

**Author's Note:**

> I recently watched castle of cagliostro and my god did the feelings jump out for Lupin and Clarisse's dynamic, their relationship is so sweet it melts my heart. Then I found out about the drama CD where they reunite years later and got my heart promptly ripped out, which is what led to the creation of this fix-it fic.  
> [If you haven't seen it, you can listen to it (with eng subs) here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338O05EXlvk)

Seated right at the end of the hotel lobby, accompanied by an old man and surrounded by a cast of brawny bodyguards, lay the paltry figure of a girl I never thought I’d live to see again.

“Clarisse!”

The moment I saw her, I couldn’t stop her name from tumbling out of my mouth. Auburn hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile worth dying for. No matter how long it had been, I’d recognize her anywhere. For years, her face was a sight I’d longed to see, and now that she was finally in front of me again - I didn’t know what else to say.

All kinds of emotions were welling up inside me, yet none of them managed to make it out of my mouth. “What are you doing here…?”

_Really? First time you’ve seen each other in years, and ‘What are you doing here?’ is the best you can manage? You’ve lost your touch, Lupin._

_You’ve gone soft._

“Mr. Thief…!” Clarisse exclaimed happily, like it was a term of endearment. All this time, and she still insisted on calling me that…I held back a dry chuckle. Just seeing her again was enough to make me happy. I didn’t need to dwell on why, exactly, when she called me that—it made me feel as though I’d never amount to anything else.

“Say, Mr. Thief, did you know?” I shook my head, trying not to admire the way her eyes lit up at me too much. “In all the time you’ve been gone…there hasn’t been a single day where I haven’t thought about you. Not a single one!” She reiterated, gripping onto the folds of her immaculate skirt a little too tight.

I wasn’t sure whether to be shocked, or flattered. While I’d been away, doing everything I could to forget the existence of the stubborn young girl in front of me…she’d been fighting to do the exact opposite. I smiled. In all this time, she really hadn’t changed.

_She was still the same old Clarisse I’d forbidden myself from falling in love with._

Looking at her like this, it was all too easy to forget we were still surrounded by company. A stern cough from the old groundskeeper quickly shattered any illusion of privacy, and firmly reminded me of our positions, here.

_She was the princess of an entire nation, and I was nothing but a lowly thief._

It wasn’t fair, but neither was the world we lived in. She’d soon leave here, we’d part ways after a few warm words, and the princess of Cagliostro would go on to marry the crown prince of some sovereign nation, all in the name of bringing prosperity to her people—just like any good little princess should.

“Princess…please forgive the intrusion, but our plane is due to depart soon. As nice as it was to see you again, Mister Lupin, I’m afraid we must be on our way.”

Clarisse seldom frowned, yet she looked about as unhappy at the prospect of leaving as she did under the control of the Count. In a very real way, she was still under the control of the place called Cagliostro. A pretty princess, doomed to wither away inside a pretty castle, lured into a life of self-sacrifice with even prettier words.

Calmly, I knelt down before her, and beckoned Clarisse closer to my ear.

As a master thief, my only job was to steal away treasures. And I think the only princess of a great nation would make for my greatest heist yet.

In a hushed, barely audible voice, I asked her. “Do you want me to steal you away?”

With the brightest smile I’d ever seen on her resolute face, without a single trace of hesitation, Clarisse replied. “I’d like nothing more.”

That confirmation was all I needed to take her hand, just like I’d done all those years ago, and start running.

I could hear the alarmed cries of her bodyguards right behind us, but it didn’t matter. Together, we ran right out of the hotel, down the steps, and straight into the uncertain future waiting just ahead of us.

Although I had no way of knowing what that future may hold, one thing was for certain.

I felt a hell of a lot better about it with the woman I loved, the runaway princess of Cagliostro at my side.


End file.
